Haunted Gingerbread Mansion

If you’re tired of carving pumpkins (I can feel the slime on my hands just thinking about it), start a new Halloween tradition! Make this easy, adorably spooky, no-bake gingerbread house. I had fun coming up with this one for the book and I learned a little somethin’ about architecture while I was at it. (That’s called a mansard roof, in case you were wondering!) Here’s what you’ll need:

1. To make the right “tower” of the house, cut a half cracker in half diagonally to make two triangles. Using royal icing, “glue” a triangle to the short edge of a whole cracker. “Glue” a quarter cracker across the seam to help the 2 pieces stay together. Repeat to make a second triangle-topped piece. Make the tower using the triangle-topped pieces for the sides and 1 vertical whole cracker each for the front and the back. “Glue” 2 half crackers to the slanted eaves to make the roof.
2. Repeat step 1 to make the left tower.
3. To make the center tower, “glue” a half cracker to a whole cracker along the short edges. “Glue” a quarter cracker across the seam. Repeat 3 times to make 4 long pieces. “Glue” the 4 long pieces together to make the tower.
4. “Glue” the four slanted graham crackers together along the slanted lines to make a pyramid shape with a flat top. Then “glue” the last half cracker on the top of the flat pyramid. “Glue” the flat pyramid on top of the center tower.
5. “Glue” a shorter tower to each side of the tall tower, about halfway back so that the tall tower sticks out in front of the two side towers.
6. Next cut about 1/2 inch off the end of 3 quarter graham crackers. Make a porch by stacking 2 of these crackers at the base of the front tower. Set aside the remaining cracker to make the porch roof later.
7. Frost the entire house, except the roof, in purple frosting. While the icing is still wet, make windowpanes out of purple Chiclets and shutters out of orange Chiclets. Use orange Chiclets for the front door.
8. Cut 2 pieces of black licorice to about 2 1/2 inches. Frost the quarter cracker you set aside earlier with purple icing. Attach the porch roof above the door and prop it up using the black licorice pieces.
9. Frost the entire roof orange, then cover it with orange M&Ms. Make the roof railing by cutting black licorice into small pieces and some long strips and sticking them into the icing.
10. “Glue” the yellow Chiclets to the center front of the roof. Pipe window frames onto all the windows using black icing.
11. “Glue” pumpkins and gummy spiders (optional) around the house.

This haunted house is amazing! I love it. I just came across your book on Tatertots and Jello and it’s the perfect book to have for those that love to make edible crafts, especially gingerbread houses.